Widmer Brothers Rotator IPA Series - X-114 IPA
114 refers to an experimental hop that has yet to hit the market. Peppery and spicy aroma and flavor.
3.5
194 reviews
Portland, United States
Community reviews
12 oz bottle. Pours amber, slightly orange in colour. Slightl off white head. Pig piney, citrusy aroma and taste. Pretty good!
So you guess it, this beer is full of citrus. But not a overwhelming amount. There’s a nice caramel backbone here that melds nicely with the citra and makes for a pretty balanced IPA. I picked up a 6 pack of this stuff and before you knew it, they were gone.
Another strong Rotator from Widmer. Nice bready malt body, a little chewy, but fresh and pleasant. Spice is not as pronounced as I anticipated - there is some nice peppery notes. Strong citrus character that is quite delightful. Sticky pine notes. Grassy, moderately astringent finish. Very enjoyable - loving this series.
Bottle. Aroma has notes of citrus, flowers, red pepper corns, cereal and caramel malts. Hazy light amber hue with a small off-white head that mostly diminished and left little lace. Palate is medium bodied and oily soft. Overall a very solid brew from Widmer Bros. I did like the spicy hop profile and the solid malt character balanced it nicely. A very good IPA but the appearance could use some work.
Hazy, honey gold, big white head, bad label. A very nice, fresh, citrus-caramel aroma. Tangy, moderately sweet, a very drinkable golden ale. Citrus pith flavors, not too bitter - more like an APA than an AIPA. A pretty crisp finish. This wasn’t a huge AIPA, but it would be a good compromise for the hopheads and the more casual PA drinker. You could certainly go through a six pack while watching the game without it getting too clingy. This would probably be a good marinade/ingredient sort of beer as well. ABC, Kerry Forest Pkwy.
Bottle and served in Ommegang tulip: Pours a a clean medium golden hue with a fizzy frothy head and spotty lace. The aroma has notes of pink grapefruit, mango, juicy fruit gum, clove, white pepper, slightly boozy and chalky, medicinal and metallic, moderate pale 2-row malt. The taste fails to match the nose, lightly resiny and piney with a moderate citric and tropical character. Slight "lemon pledge" tone as well as a biscuity and doughy grain bill. Sort of a one note beer, okay I get the hop character of this new X-114 but this cries out for a hop companion or two. The mouth feel is aggressive but far too green and metallic, sort of watery too. Well compared to the two crappy IPA’s I had before it, this rocks... but compared to the whole genre it is simply average.
Pours golden with foamy white head that dissipates at a medium rate, nice lacing. Very earthy hop forward aroma that comes across dry. Light body, oily feel on the tongue. Earthy, spicy hop resins grab your tongue and don’t let go. Peppery dry finish. Easy drinking, but not up to NW IPA’s. Will finish the case though!
12oz bottle -
Wow. A really, really nice find from Widmer and easy on the pocketbook. Looking forward if they continue to promote hop forward beers that are affordable. The beer pours out a light golden orange body, clear with a bright fluffy white head, with some staying power. It shows off the hops with clear notes of both pine and grapefruits with some support from light caramel malts (very light). Flavor is spot on with a direct showcase of dank, piney hops and some honey/pears showing up to keep the sweetness around. Really a treat for hop lovers and a great showcase for hops.
Pour is a hazy orange with a large with head. Aroma is a nice hop with a deffinate pepper. Flavor is a fruity hop with some juicy fruit and a dry cracker like malt. Finish has more pepper and a nice tangerine. This was a well done beer. Bravo Widmer
Appearance: a mélange of coppers, oranges, and garnets under a fluffy pithy bubbly head which fades rocky and pocky. Continues to fade rocky and splotchy, leaving clumps of pith in its wake.
Nose: white and pink grapefruit, mint, and spruce needles. Pith under and in the back. Key lime.
Palate: soft, bready, frothy mouthfeel. Medium-light weight. Key lime and fresh squeezed lemon water. Spruce. Mint in the breath.
Final Thoughts: a solid simple IPA from Widmer Brothers. With the exception of their reserve line of beers, I have found Widmer to be consistently average over the years and the beers. Is this so bad though? It used to be impossible to find a decent beer on draft or in bottle and yet now we have a seemingly endless supply of tasty craft beers on draft and in the bottle to choose from as we quaff day to day, enjoying both the regulars and the white whales.
Name: Rotator X-114 IPA
Date: November 02, 2011
Mode: Draft
Source: Taco Mac, Woodstock
Appearance: clear copper, fine off white head, lots of lace
Aroma: sweet crystal malt aroma, lots of citrus, touch of sweet pine, light peppery spicyness
Flavor: robust citrus flavor backed by crystal sweetness, light bitterness adds balance but stays out of the way of the hops
Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 7/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 15/20
Rating: 3.6/5.0
Drinkability: 8/10
Score: *** /4
crisp amber pour with a thin cream head. nose is chewy fruits, bitter, and resiny. smooth on the palate, nice hop flavor with a lightly bitter backbone, followed by light fruits.
This was a very big IPA. Clear golden, moderately oily, with mild carbonation. Huge orange and general citrus aroma, with a quite spicy hoppiness in the flavor. Those who love aggressive IPAs will find this suitably up their alley. Bottle.
Pours light golden with a thin fully receding white head. Notes of coarse hops, woody, pepper, bitter orange peel. Medium to full bodied, resinous with soft carbonation. Not a fan of the hop choices.
Pours slightly hazy pale amber with 1 finger of head and good retention. Aroma screams citra hops... tangerine, berries, white pepper, and candy candy caramel. Taste is candy sweet on the front end with berries, tangerine, honey, resin, and bittersweet on the finish with pine resin bitterness and citric sweetness. Body is medium, slick, avg carb, juicy hoppy finish. Overall, a great example of Citra hops, which are my favorite varietal.
Tap. (on vacation in MD about a month ago.) Golden with creamy white head. Aroma of fresh pine + resin + perfume. Flavor = nice hoppy goodness but not as big as some of my faves. Light grapefruity or passionfruity note. Smooth dry finish, but not as dry as I like.
12 oz bottle . Served in a pint. Hazy orange color. Head dies real fast, light retention. Nose is light earthy/pine hop aroma. Flavor much of the same, with light malt and some citrus (lemon). Moderate bitter finish, with light dryness. Mouthfeel has a slick texture. Not sure how this “NEW” hop varies from any other combination of hops used anywhere else in the brewing world. This brew has some good drinkability.
Pour from a 12 oz bottle - six pack from Salut in Kalamazoo. Amber brew with thin head. Nice aroma of spice, pine, grapfruit, pineapple(?).. very rich. Taste is hops forward with sour grassiness and bitter citrus hitting the tongue right off and lingering into the finish. Great complexity to the taste. Lingering bitter / fruity finish. Most excellent.
12-oz. Thanks, Melissa! Pours a crystal clear bright gold with a nice tight sudsy white head. Lots of spotty lace coming down the side of the glass. Big deep grapefruity nose, very sweet rather than resiny. Very appealing. Creamy medium body with lively carb. Toast and caramel mid palate with tons of grapefruit and pine. Crisp finish with a bit of resin to it. Clea, approachable, easy-drinking light-bodied IPA with surprisingly rich and complex flavor. A complete success.
Slightly hazy, amber/orange. Grassy aroma. A very good amount of hops in this one. Strong piney finish. Very good brew.
On tap at Fox and Hound in OKC. Pours clear golden amber with small off-white head. Aromas of floral and citrus hops. Flavors of orange and grapefruit, earthy and bitter hops, and some malt. Mouthfeel was a tad thin, but this was a pretty solid IPA overall.
Pours slightly hazy copper-yellow with a fair off white head. Aroma is light, some hops, citrus and a little caramel. Awesome hops, caramel and citrus. Great hop flavor and finish.
Slightly hazy, good head of puffy white foam. A peppery celery and gooseberry nose with some white grape must too. In the mouth it begins rough and full with a spiky bitterness which rolls to the back of the mouth. It hasn’t got a heap of depth to it. It leaves the mouth with a eucalyptus herbal note which lingers with an essential oil type strength. Pretty good but a bit rough for me and lacking in any kind of balance.
(12oz bottle dated Mar 21, 2011 thanks to Dixonian) gold and bright in color, creamy eggshell colored head. Nose is very dank, citrus, touch of umami, smells really nice! Taste of a bit of umami, citrus and rind, dank, well balanced, oily body and well carbonated. I’m surprised this isn’t rated higher, but given it’s Widmer I bet some come in with prejudice against it. Really a solid IPA.
bottle. fantastic and unique IPA - had an apricot flavor that i especially enjoyed. very drinkable
On tap at River Rock Tap House, Sacramento. Pours straw yellow with a decent off-white head and a pine aroma. There is a nice caramel malt flavor with a tasty bitter hop finish. A well-designed beer and a successful hop experiment..
Bottle. Slightly hazy amber brew with a thin white head. The nose is bursting with lots of bright oranges and a floral character. There is also a little bit of white cake sweetness. The taste is largely grapefruit with some notes of bread crust and almond shells. There is also some bits of vegetable, like flower petals. Overall, this is pretty solid and would be worth trying again as long as I knew it was fresh.
One of the most flavorful IPAs I’ve yet to sample! The beer pours a clear, golden colored body with a thin white foamy head that had light retention but left good lacing. Aromas of citrus fruits, starfruits, hops. Flavors of the same with a large dose of the fruits coming through and a subtle bite of hops throughout. Medium-bodied, lively carbonation, and a finish that is dry and bitter yet very refreshing. A malt-head like me could really get into an IPA of this caliber! Definitely a great IPA for the BBQ or fish fry!!
12 oz. Orange-amber with a topping of spongy foam. Nose is spicy citrus zest and toffee. Tastes caramel, citrus, spicy grain. Near-medium body is tingly with carbonation and hops, and very easy to drink.
bottle - Pours clear copper with a one finger head. There’s a citrus hop aroma and the flavor is dominated by the same. The malt body balances the hops well. This IPA is a very good effort though not a great one.